This summer, a new transportation option will appear in the daily lives of Vilnius residents and city guests – regular trips on electric boats on the Neris River. As the launch of electric passenger boats approaches, the public is invited to suggest names for four boats and thus get involved in the design of the new public transport creation.
“Passenger electric ships in Vilnius will open a new direction of mobility, which will gradually be integrated into the city's public transport system. We want these ships to become not only a convenient, safe and environmentally friendly means of transport, but also a symbolic element of the city, in the creation of which all Vilnius residents could participate. We invite you to decide together what to name the new electric ships,” says the Mayor of Vilnius Valdas Benkunskas.
In the first phase of the name collection, the public is invited to suggest names on a special platform www.isrinkvarda.lt. Proposals can be submitted until May 12. Later, a commission formed exclusively for this initiative will select 20 names that will be submitted for a final vote. Everyone will be able to vote, and the four names that receive the most support will be officially given to the new electric ships, which will arrive in the capital this summer.
The Commission consists of: Vilnius city municipalities Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, UAB "Vilnius public transport" Head of the Shipping Department Mindaugas Žiedelis, Head of JUDU Public Transport Organization Arnas Misiūnas, Representative of the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration Eglė Kučinskaitė, Member of the Council of the Lithuanian Hydrobiological Society Kęstutis Skrupskelis, Historian Prof. Alfredas Bumblauskas, Head of the "City Laboratory" Goda Sosnovskienė, Sustainability Expert Silvestras Dikčius. Passenger electric ships will be put into operation during the summer season.
"Regular passenger shipping on the Nerima River is both an ambitious and exceptional project. Together with partners and other municipal companies, we are creating not only a new service, but also an entire experience that will be attractive to both citizens and guests. The ships will be characterized by the highest quality construction, modern design and comfort, and an electric ship power plant will be installed on the roof. These will be quiet, environmentally friendly, and adapted to all passengers, including cyclists and people with disabilities, electric ships," says Ignas Degutis, head of Vilnius Public Transport.
Each of the four electric passenger ships, manufactured by the Latvian company SIA BIC, will accommodate 30-40 passengers and will have a space with comfortable seating on a partially covered deck.
“The integration of shipping into the public transport system is another sustainable and attractive mobility option in Vilnius, allowing citizens and guests to discover the capital from a completely new perspective. It is not only a new way of traveling, but also an important connection between the city's microdistricts and main transfer points, integrated with bus and trolleybus routes. We are creating the future of Vilnius' mobility together with people – I invite everyone to become part of this change,” says Loreta Levulytė-Staškevičienė, Head of JUDU.
The Nerimi passenger transport project is being implemented by a team of various Vilnius City Municipality companies, collaborating to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the new service. UAB “Vilniaus viešasis transportas” will perform the functions of the service operator, SĮ “Communication services" (JUDU) is responsible for organizing the service, UAB "Beam" takes care of the installation and maintenance of the infrastructure, and UAB "Vilnius lighting" will install ship charging equipment and provide access lighting.
